Friday, August 16, 2013

The most drastic thing to change my training and
physical development in the last two years has been a focused and
consistent look at nutrition, and then using that knowledge to make
daily choices. Different body types have different requirements. I am
that person who rages when the school lunch lady won’t let you get a
potato with your meal because “too many people are obese.” I can’t
stand seeing only low fat yogurt in the grocery store and often buy baby
yogurt because it’s the healthiest. I actually have some opinions on
the effectiveness of no calorie and reduced nutrition foods even for
people trying to lose weight. But for ectomorphs like me, high
metabolism freaks of nature, every calorie is like gold! When I try to
push my daily intake to a level that will increase size and muscle mass I
quickly see that it is a daunting, expensive, time consuming
challenge. I find myself saying, “700 calories? Great give me two.”
While overall caloric goals can be approached by breaking eating up into
4-6 meals a day, what makes up those calories does matter also. The
program I have followed and developed over the last couple of years is
something I plan on teaching soon and sharing with others because
there’s just not enough good information out there for skinny martial
artists who want to retain lightning fast speed while gaining effective
muscle strength and size.
I use the word effective because of the criticism
people often levy against resistance training. Folks say, “The size you
gain from weightlifting is useless, prone to damage, and not truly
efficient.” Of course that’s mostly a load of crap based on a few poor
examples. Having your vital organs and bones on the surface of your
skin is never favorable when someone is trying to poke, punch, kick,
grab, jab, or otherwise cease your mobility. Muscle is armor, in
addition to strength. And while one can slip out of balance, proper
muscular development and tone is vital for optimum performance in any
physical endeavor. It’s paramount that the muscular development be
brought into a mold that mimics the requirements of a given field, and
that’s where my program comes in – but that’s not what this short
writing is about! It’s about an easy meal you can fix yourself that
covers a lot of bases.
Time is precious for most of us. For most guys
learning to cook is really a matter of impressing some girl, or girls,
women, whatever. I mean we like good food, but a pot of mac and tuna
does just fine at getting us full. A little salad answers the
persistent voice of mom. Broccoli has some complex carbs, and we want
strength and energy and to not burn existing muscle, so we steam that.
Besides broccoli can have butter and a little cheese. Mmmmm. Cheese.
So what is it we are looking for?
We want a food that isn’t too expensive, doesn’t get
old fast and isn’t too exotic to enjoy over and over again. It should
be capable of slight changes in flavor, have some vegetable element,
carbs, healthy fats, and a GORGE of protein. Omega stuff, calcium, and
be able to last all day without going bad or getting gross. There’s
more; it should be portable. Bonus if we can throw it in a bag or box
and eat on it all day. Add a few little staples like rice, noodles,
bread, or whatever you want and this precious food source can become a
meal. Add alfredo sauce and wine and you can impress your girlfriend.
Or friends. Whatever!
Enter Salmon. Wild caught Alaskan Salmon to be
precise. I remember when it was like a buck per can, I bought at least
50 cans for my Y2K stash. It was a good investment. In fact I still
stock up on salmon from time to time. Note that the farmed salmon
(often called natural) is colored with weird stuff you don’t want. The
wild stuff sells for around $3 a can and can be eaten right out of the
can if you can stay in true bachelor mode. We got this in the can. Add
a bagel and we’re done. 79 grams of protein. But that doesn’t fit the
bill as mentioned above.
RECIPE: Ok, drain the can of salmon and dump the
whole thing into a medium to large bowl. Add a raw egg and crush a few
handfuls of saltine crackers (or substitute of your choice), add those.
Now dice a small onion, put it in with a few pinches of cayenne or
other hot sauce, Curry is great! A pinch of Cinnamon can round of the
flavor and add some nice anti-oxidants. Mix well. Crush the bones with
a fork if you don’t like them, or if you are fixing this for your
girlfriend or whatever. I’ve tried substituting everything for the
crackers; corn meal, oat meal, crushed acorns, cereal, unknown dry
substances in my pantry. In the woods this is where you add bugs and
berries but that’s a different article I think. The onions are
critical and sweeten the mix. Anyway, form the congealed substance
into a small ball and pat it out flat. Have hot oil ready to go in a
pan and drop in the patties starting with a ring around the edge, add
the center patty last. Some oils are better than others. In general,
veggie oils produce the most poisonous heat related by-products, bacon
grease handles high heat without oxidization, olive oil is in the
middle, Coconut oil is superior. The center patty cooks extra fast on
most eyes. I find the best texture happens with higher heat (Medium);
crispy outside and tender but cooked inside. Rotate the ones on the
outside of the pan because often only half of the patty gets well
crisped. One can of salmon can make anywhere from 9 smaller patties to 5
or 6 large ones. But the fun is not over. Of course flip them at some
point and place on a paper towel of you have one. The finished product
is good ALL DAY, even overnight. Heck I’ve probably pushed the
boundaries a little and eaten them many days later. All ingredients can
be stored without electricity in a primitive environment – yes eggs
stay good a long time outside the fridge, but if you have a water source
you also have a good cooler. Plastic bags work but they are strange
when it comes to moisture, and plastic breaks down into estrogen-like
compounds, which for us guys is kind of the opposite of the whole goal
here. That might explain a lot. In general strive for less plastic,
dudes.
The best non-impact resistant storage is a small box
with patties wrapped in foil, cardboard ok. Reheating works well but
they are great cold. Add granola, fruit, or rice and some sauce and you
have a world class meal on-the-go. Getting back to weight gain; fix a
load of these in the morning and eat between every meal all day. An
evening dose of salmon helps keep the body from consuming itself in the
early morning hours as you sleep. Let me rephrase clearly; it is not a
meal, it is in addition to all other meals!
Let me know how it goes! I have fun salmon stories,
one of which being a trip to Jamaica where we had a delay and spent the
night at the airport eating our box of patties all night, freezing cold,
blowing a didjeridoo and looking weird in general.
Bonus tip: If you eat the salmon within 45 minutes
after a hard workout, the protein uptake in the muscle tissue is at its
highest and will result in stronger synthesis if practiced as a routine
habit. A good digestive system lengthens the window up to an hour and a
half, poor systems need fixing but mean you should start eating as your
sweat dries. The body should be hydrated from drinking water before and
throughout the workout. Translation; eat salmon patties after training
and get stronger. Drive on!

Author Spencer Bolejack directs Land of the Sky Wilderness School
in western North Carolina where he teaches martial arts from a variety
of perspectives, systems, and schools.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

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LOTS Information

LOTS Wilderness LLC, is a premier experiential education center in western North Carolina. Summer camps give students the opportunity to track, study edible and medicinal plants, stealth, sailing, hiking, bow hunting, crafts and music in one of a kind 1 to 5 day sessions that preserve traditional knowledge of the Appalachian frontier and native Cherokee. We also offer after school classes year round in a variety of self-defense systems collectively known as Integrated Martial Arts for all ages and ability levels. Participants train in Tang Soo Do, Filipino arts, Kenpo-Jiu Jutsu, Jeet Kune Do concepts, and functional fitness among other topics.